Istanbul Basaksehir v Roma preview: Mkhitaryan makes return but Jesus dropped

Cengiz Under could line up against his former club for Roma when they take on Istanbul Basaksehir on Thursday, but Juan Jesus has been left out of the squad.

Under missed the first Europa League group game between the two sides through injury, and although he is yet to start for Roma since his recovery, Paulo Fonseca will be able to call on him for the return fixture in his homeland of Turkey.

In another boost, Nikola Kalinic makes his return to the squad after a month on the sidelines, while the presence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, out since September, is an even bigger relief for Fonseca.

Alessandro Florenzi and Javier Pastore are not fit to travel, however, while defender Juan Jesus has been left out altogether, despite not being injured. The Brazilian has not featured under Fonseca since before Mkhitaryan’s injury in September, with his absence a sign of how far down the pecking order he has fallen.

  

That means Chris Smalling and Gianluca Mancini could continue as the centre-back pair, with Federico Fazio the only other option in the squad. Smalling starred on Sunday with a goal and two assists in the win over Brescia, putting in a man of the match performance to help keep a clean sheet and remind everyone why Roma want to make his signing permanent. However, he is yet to guide Roma to a clean sheet in a Europa League game, so if he plays, this could be his opportunity – with the Giallorossi having kept Basaksehir out in his absence at the Olimpico.

Indeed, defensive resilience will be needed, as Roma can ill afford to drop points at this stage. Should they lose, and Borussia Monchengladbach beat Wolfsberger, then Roma would be unable to qualify from the group. Win, though, and the Lupi would be back in the top two, setting up an exciting final matchday in December.

The game kicks off at 5:55pm UK time.

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